For Better Or For Worse
by Creativity Incarnate
Summary: Half-way through Spirit Bound.  Rose is desperate to save Dimitri.  Can she get the help she needs and keep her friends safe?  What will happen if Dimitri is saved?  How will life and love continue for our favorite characters?  Please give it a chance!
1. Charmed

**Hello! Please R&R! Thanks. This is my first fanfic for you guys! Hope you like it! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the plot idea. Credit goes to Richelle Mead –author of Vampire Academy- and Nickelback – an amazing band-.**

**Also, if you haven't read the Vampire Academy series, then READ IT! You won't understand this fanfic otherwise, plus you'll love the books.**

**This takes place half-way through Spirit bound. They went back to court after they lost Victor. Adrian broke up with Rose because she is still crazy about Dimitri. He still loves her though. Lissa and Christian are still fighting.**

**Yours truly,**

**Creativity Incarnate**

**For Better Or For Worse**

**Chapter 1: Charmed**

**Adrian's POV**

Music played out through a jukebox against the wall in the dimly lit room. It was the song "Someone that your with" by Nickelback. Voices floated on the pungent smoke which filled the air. On the table in front of me was an over-used ashtray. I ordered a double scotch. When it came, I gulped it down and signaled for a refill. I drank that much more slowly.

_I reside in 209, you're in 208/You moved in last Friday night, /and I just couldn't wait/So I tried to call across the hall, /to ask you out someday/But a line had formed outside your door, and I was way too late/_

'Damn the cradle-robber!' I said in my mind.

_[CHORUS]/Well I'd rather start off slow/This whole thing's like /some sort of a race/instead of winning what I want/I'm sitting here in second place/Because somewhere /the one I wanna be with /with somebody else/Oh God, I wanna be that /someone that you're with /(Wanna be that someone/that you're with)/And I can talk about it all day long /'til I run out of breath/But I still wanna be that /someone that you're with/(I've got to be that /someone that you're with)/And I'm pacing by the phone/'Cause I hate to be alone/And if you're out there with him/somewhere, just about to kiss/Then God, I wanna be that/someone that you're with. _

'How ironic,' I thought, 'here I am without Rose, wishing I could be with her.' The song continued to play.

_Well I hear your favorite songs/you sing along with everyday/And I borrow things that /I don't need for conversation sake/Last night I heard your key,/it hit your lock at 4 AM/Instead of being out with me/you must be out with them/[CHORUS]/Well I'd rather start off slow/This whole thing's like/some sort of a race/Instead of winning what I want/I'm sitting here in second place/Because somewhere the one/I wanna be with /with somebody else/Oh God, I wanna be that /someone that you're with/(Wanna be that /someone that you're with) /And I can talk about it all day long/'til I run out of breath/But I still wanna be that /someone that you're with/(I've got to be that /someone that you're with)/And I'm pacing by the phone/'Cause I hate to be alone/And if you're out there with him/somewhere, just about to kiss/Then God, I wanna be that/someone that you're with/Well somewhere the one/I wanna be with/with somebody else/Oh God, I wanna be that /someone that you're with/And I can talk about it all day long/'til I run out of breath/But I still wanna be that /someone that you're with/(I've got to be that /someone that you're with)/And I'm pacing by the phone/'Cause I hate to be alone/And if you're out there with him/somewhere, just about to kiss/Then God, I've got to be that/someone that/I wanna be that someone that/I've got to be that /someone that you're with. _

By the end of the song, my eyes were tearing up and I was holding my drink so tightly that glass could've shattered. I finished my drink, paid the bartender, and left. As I stumbled back to my dorm I felt a presence coming towards me. It was Princess Vasilissa Dragomir (or Lissa as she preferred to be called). I stopped and waited for her to catch up to me.

"Adrian!" she ran up, breathless. I gave her a forced smile. Right now, I just wanted to be alone." Guess what? I finally charmed a stake!" she squealed.

"That's great, but what are you going to do now?" I asked. I sincerely hoped she would give up on Rose's idea. Rose had wanted to save Dimitri Belikov, her previous boyfriend. Of course, the only way to do that was for a spirit user to infuse a silver stake with spirit and stake the strigoi themselves. Lissa wanted to try. Everyone objected to this. If Lissa even tried to get near a strigoi she would be dead in seconds. None of us would risk our friends' lives, especially Rose.

"I will learn how to defend myself and stake strigoi." She said with conviction. My expression must have alerted her to my feelings, because she gave me a don't-argue-with-me look. I sighed.

"Be careful, Liss."

"I will be."

"Alright, now if you'll excuse me, I'm tired and would like to go to bed. I'll see you later." I said curtly. I could feel a little bit of darkness running through me. One of spirit's lovely side effects is that it slowly drives the user crazy. I decided to jog a little. I ran until I got to my apartment in guest housing. We were at court, the center of Moroi society. I then took a shower, got in my pajamas and flopped on my bed. Sleep came quickly.

**I hope you liked it! Sorry that it was so short. I'll try to make them longer! I would love reviews, good or bad. Should I continue?**

**Thanks**

**Creativity Incarnate**


	2. Planning

**Thanks to dimitriandadrain111 and Sliver Of Hope for reviewing! **

**Sliver Of Hope: Hi! *smiles* **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Well… that's not true. I have clothes and pets and stuff… I don't own Vampire Academy! (Though I wish I did. *winks*) **

**Here's the chapter, please review! I want to know your thoughts without having to read your mind! Constructive criticism is welcome!**

**Thanks, **

**Creativity Incarnate**

**For Better Or For Worse**

** Chapter 2: Planning**

** Rose's POV**

Lissa was hiding something, I could feel it through the bond. I pushed on the block, but it held strong. I lay backwards onto my bed and tried not to think about Dimitri. A knock on the door rescued me from my thoughts. I opened it and a small moroi girl stood there. She was thin with brown hair and blue eyes.

"Can I help you?" I asked. She giggled.

"I got a new job. I deliver mail!" With this statement, she grabbed my hand and placed 2 white envelopes in it, then ran off. One of them was junk mail, but the other was a letter. From Dimitri. I walked over to my bed and sat down. Throwing away the spam, I looked at Dimitri's letter. I got one letter every week. My hands trembled as I opened the letter, a tear rolling down my cheek. Ever since Dimitri was turned into a strigoi, my life had been hell. The man I loved with my whole heart, the one person I couldn't live without, was gone forever. Sure, I could ask Lissa to go along with a crazy plan to save him, but could I ask her to sacrifice her own life? She was my best friend. I was supposed to protect her, not put her in harm's way. Yet that was what had happened. I had gone to Russia in an attempt to save Dimitri's soul, and Lissa had almost died. Then I staged the jailbreak of our long-time enemy, Victor Dashkov. Lissa couldn't rest in peace with him free. Now she wanted to face down a strigoi on my behalf. All I had done was endanger her. Another tear rolled down my cheek as I read the letter.

_Dear Roza, _

_I hope all is going well for you. I would hate to have anything happen to you before we meet again. And we will meet again. I almost had you in L.A. I forgot to thank you by the way. If you hadn't hesitated and pushed Mr. Castile, I may have died. I won't forget that, just like I will never forget you. You're beautiful hair, the power in your eyes, the curves of your body. You will be etched into my memory forever, especially after I kill you. I must go now, but I'll see you again soon. _

_I'll love you until death do us part,_

_D._

I suppressed a wail as the floodgate broke and my tears spilled out. The letter crumpled and fell onto my bed as I curled up into a ball and cried. Finally exhausted and numb, I drifted into an uneasy sleep.

****

**(A/N. Still Rose's POV)**

I awoke to a light banging on my door. I got up and went to my mirror, groaning when I saw my disheveled reflection.

"Hang on!" I called as I fixed my hair and tried to straighten my shirt. I went to the door, and opened it to find Adrian standing in front of me. I stepped aside and he entered.

"Have a seat. What's up?" I asked. He sat on my bed. The paper crumpled again underneath him, and he picked it up.

"Little Dhampir, Lissa-" he cut off and his eyes widened as he read the note. "I...I'm sorry, Rose. Are you okay?" he studied my aura.

"I'm as well as can be expected. What about Lissa?" I checked the bond, but nothing seemed wrong, so confusion took the place of my worries.

"She…She did it. She charmed the stake." He looked weary as he told me.

"Damn. What is she gonna do now?" well, at least I knew what she was hiding.

"Train to fight. She wants to learn how to stake things."

"No! She can't!" Lissa couldn't put herself in danger. I wouldn't let her.

"If you try to stop her, she'll just fight you. We need a plan to stop her." Adrian said, still studying me.

"Yeah. We could steal the stake."

"She would only charm another. We need to stop her altogether." He got up and started pacing.

I sighed. "We will have to think about it. If you come up with anything, tell me. I'm going to the gym to burn off some energy." Adrian nodded.

"Little Dhampir, I want you to know… I'm here if you ever need anything."

"Thanks Adrian. I appreciate everything." I gave him a tight smile, and he left while I got my training clothes. Then I went to the gym.

****

The gym was dark when I got there. I stretched and ran. Then I found a punching bag. I gave it all I had. Finally, I stopped and took a break. When I turned around, Alberta was holding out a water bottle and a towel.

"Thanks" I gasped, out of breath.

"That was pretty intense." Alberta said.

"…yeah. Just had a little too much energy."

"Mmm hmm." She replied. There was an emotion in hers eyes that I couldn't read. Pride? Concern? Understanding? I sighed. "If you still have energy, we could spar."

I smiled slightly. After my workout, I was a little tired. I agreed anyway. "Sure."

We took up our fighting stances. I liked fighting with Alberta. We didn't know each other's moves like it had been with Dimitri, so there was an added element to the fight.

I studied her as we circled each other. Her hand lashed out, and I blocked it with my arm. I quickly returned with a roundhouse kick to her stomach. She caught my leg and tried to flip me, but I wriggled out of her grip and aimed a punch at her. She blocked perfectly. After a few more hits on each other, I made a mistake. I moved too early, and she easily dodged me as she moved behind me. She tackled me to the ground, pinning my arms under my torso. I try to grab her with my legs, but she quickly pinned those too. I gave up, and she helped me up.

"You've really improved. I'm glad the princess has you to be her guardian." She smiled at me.

"Thanks. It means a lot to me." I replied. Then we went our separate ways.

**I hoped you all liked this chapter! I know not much happened, but I'm not sure exactly how I want the story to continue, so it's hard to write. Review!**

**Creativity Incarnate.**


	3. Bad Day For Everyone!

**Hi everyone! Sorry about not updating, but I've been busy with school and finals. I'm finally on summer break though, so you'll probably get more updates. I offer this chapter as a peace offering! Also, thank you to all my reviewers, both for this story and my other stories (Check those out and review too! Subjects are: Supernatural (T.V show), Tamora Pierce's Immortals series (books), and more Vampire Academy! Also, vote on my poll (even if you don't know anything about it!)) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Academy, or any other subject mentioned above. Only for entertainment purposes and the betterment of my writing/typing skills. **

**Forever Yours,**

**Creativity Incarnate**

**For Better Or For Worse**

**Chapter 3: Bad Day For Everyone!**

**Rose's POV**

The next morning (around 8:15 pm) I went to see Lissa. Arriving at her apartment, I walked in without knocking. Lissa and I were as close as sisters, and I had the bond anyway, so what did it matter, right? What I saw would have been funny, had it not terrified me first. Scattered everywhere in the small living room were cheap dollar-store pillow which had been shredded to no more than lumps of nylon and polyester. The scratchy stuffing was everywhere, clinging to the curtains and couches. Lissa was nowhere to be found. I ran to her bedroom, hoping I wasn't about to find my best friend unconscious and hurt on her bedroom floor. Instead, I found her lying on her queen mattress singing along to Fall Out Boy's "Dance, Dance". She jumped up when I came in, shutting off her iPod to give me an alarmed look.

"Rose?" she said, sounding as surprised as she looked.

"Liss? Are you okay? What happened to your living room?" Realizing I sounded like a worried mother, I added "You didn't get a pet cat, did you? Those things hate me." I gave her a joking smile at the end. She blushed and shook her head.

"They hate you because you pester them. They don't like people pulling on their tails!" She replied defiantly, avoiding the story about why it looked as though a hurricane had passed through. I sat next to her on the bed.

"Seriously though, what happened?" I asked. She just shook her head.

"Nothing, really." She tried.

"Liss, I know you charmed the stake."

"Oh." She gave me a sheepish look. "In that case, I was, um, practicing on pillows." I gave her a confused look at first, then I realized what she meant. She was staking pillows? I could have laughed.

"Liss, those poor harmless pillows are not anything like what a real staking is." I began.

"I kno-"

"No, Liss! You don't know! Strigoi are super powerful and super-fast! Assuming you could even get close enough to one, you still have to have enough muscle to get through the skin, fat, pectoral muscles, between the ribs through both sets of intercostal muscles, up through parts of the thymus and lungs, the pericardial sac, then deep enough into the heart to actually kill the Strigoi! And they are not going to just stand there while you use up all your energy trying to push a very painful object into them to kill them! So no, you don't know!" I almost yelled, cutting her off. Normally, I would be proud of my superior knowledge, but this was my best friend going on a suicide mission after having a stupid pillow fight. And maybe a little bit of darkness had slipped through…

**Lissa's POV**

I sat there in stunned silence, staring at my irate best friend. I had known staking was hard, but all that? It was almost a science. I felt my resolve plummet a bit. As a Moroi, I was already lacking in muscle. After all, guardians spent years just toning their bodies and learning ways to fight and kill. They were taught to be lethal while Moroi were simply taught English and math, and how to run and hide. I found myself with a new respect for our protectors, and Rose.

"Ros-" I tried, but she shook her head, cutting me off without words.

"No, Lissa. I am not going to risk your life like that. Dimitri is gone, as good as dead. I tried, but now it's time to let go. Give me the stake. I'll hand it in." Rose held out her hand, not looking me in the eye. I felt my anger rise a little bit. She expected me to just give up? It was obvious to me that Dimitri wasn't just 'gone' to Rose. I saw the sorrow she carried with her, despite her attempts to hide it. I could do something; give my best friend and sister something back. She had risked everything for me. Every time I went somewhere, she risked her life to protect mine. Now was my turn to repay her, by bringing back Dimitri Belikov. I stood up.

"No. So what if it's hard? I'm not just going to give up Rose. I'll train, just like you did. I will find a way to do this." I held my chin up, totally stubborn. Rose gaped at me.

"I won't let you jeopardize your own life. I will sacrifice my own before you ever get near a Strigoi, willingly or not." And with that statement, she stood up and left my apartment. I sank onto my bed, wanting to cry from the hopelessness of it all. Couldn't Rose see that I was trying to help? Why wouldn't she believe that I could do it? Her earlier words came back to me, the list of parts of the body which would be in my way. Grabbing the stake, I straightened my appearance and set off to the library. Time for an anatomy lesson.

****

**Christian POV**

My day (or night to humans…) was going well. I was relaxing, sitting around in Court's giant library. I had found a few books about magic, what it used to be used for, etc. I had a new idea about how to fight with fire, and I would call Aunt Tasha later to talk about it. Stretching, I let my gaze wander. Across the room, I saw Princess Vasilisa Dragomir. I refused to call her by her preferred name, Lissa. She was Princess to me. I would not think about her in any other way, despite her being my ex, despite how much I still loved her, how beautiful she still was… She looked up, swinging her gaze and catching mine. I snapped my eyes away, put down my book, and got up to leave. When I looked up again, Liss- _Princess_ Vasilisa was walking towards me. Not wanting to get into another fight (lately, that was all we did), I ran out the library. No one ever paid attention to me; I was just the guy whose parents turned Strigoi. My running out of the library wouldn't cause a stir. My fighting with Li- _PRINCESS Vasilisa_ (I had to keep telling myself to stay formal) would.

My mood suddenly gloomy, I walked back to my dorm. I was looking at my feet when I ran into something solid. Glaring up, I found myself face to face with Rose. She was giving me a strange look.

"Dude, are you okay? I've been calling your name for like, the past five minutes. Going deaf?"

"Shut up." I mumbled. I was in no mood to deal with my ex's annoying best friend. She frowned.

"Seriously. Are you okay?" She seemed sincere, and I realized she was actually concerned. She wasn't just my ex's friend, she was mine to. Ever since our trip to Spokane, we had come to an understanding. Our relationship was that of a brother and sister. We would bicker constantly, but when things really got serious, we could always depend on the other. I gave her a weak smile.

"I'll be fine." I said, thinking '_just as soon as I get over Lissa'_. She gave me a sympathetic smile.

"I know you probably don't want to hear this, but you really should give her another chance. Hell, maybe you could put a stop to her crazy plans."

Crazy plans? What had Lissa gotten herself into now? Rose must have seen my questioning look, because she proceeded to explain that Lissa thought she could save a Strigoi by staking it herself, with a spirit-charmed stake.

"Your right, that is crazy. But she is gonna take a while to charm a stake anyway." I said.

"That's just it. She's already charmed the stake, figured the damn thing out recently. Now she wants to train herself to fight. You should have seen her apartment. Do you think you could try talking to her? She won't listen to me."

It hit me then. Here I was, talking about Lissa like I had any say in her life. Rose's words echoed around me _'you should have seen her apartment' _and _'try talking to her'_. If I was still her boyfriend, I would have seen her apartment. And talking? Lissa and I hadn't talked without yelling in weeks. No, we were done, and I was out of her life. I shook my head, cutting Rose off mid-sentence.

"No. I don't have anything to do with Lissa anymore. We are done, over. Sorry." And with that I pushed past her, continuing along the path to my apartment.

"Christian!" Rose called to my retreating form. I ignored her. My good day had been ruined. I finally reached my apartment, and upon entrance, noticed that the only light bulb in my living room had died. Perfect, right?

**Hey! Another chapter written! I am so sorry that I took so long to update. I'm gonna try more! It was kinda hard with this story, I know what I want to happen, I just don't know how I want it to happen. But, once I get writing, I got caught in the flow of the words! Yay!**

**Thanks! Review! And vote on my poll, it's on my profile page. **

**Creativity Incarnate**


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